New Delhi:
Simply days earlier than meeting elections in 4 states and a Union territory, actor Arun Govil, who performed Lord Ram within the iconic 1987 tv present Ramayan, has joined the BJP.
He is not going to contest the elections, the BJP stated, however will marketing campaign for the occasion. With this transfer, the occasion is seen to intention for right-wing voters within the states the place elections will likely be held beginning March 27.
At his first press convention, Arun Govil stated there was nothing incorrect in saying “Jai Shri Ram”, the phrase heard typically at BJP rallies and marches in Bengal, the place it’s hoping to kind its maiden authorities.
“West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s irritation with Jai Shri Ram was a set off level for me to hitch the BJP. And there may be nothing incorrect in saying Jai Shri Ram…it isn’t a slogan, not even a political slogan. It’s a lifestyle for us, it represents our tradition and ethos,” he was quoted as saying by information company PTI.
The slogan was used in opposition to the Trinamool through the 2019 normal elections. The BJP had received 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal, making deep inroads within the state.
Other than Ramayan, Mr Govil, 63, has performed leads in a number of Hindi, Bhojpuri, Odia and Telugu movies. He has additionally performed supporting characters. He’s, nonetheless, largely identified for his roles in mythological films.
Apparently, on the peak of his recognition within the Nineteen Eighties, Mr Govil supported the Congress. The BJP had given tickets to actors from the identical collection who had performed Ravan (Arvind Trivedi) and Sita (Deepika Chikhaliya); each grew to become MPs.
Mr Govil made the headlines final yr after a photograph of him watching a Ramayan reboot on nationwide broadcaster Doordarshan went viral.
The multi-phased elections to Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry assemblies will finish on April 29. Counting will likely be held on Could 2.